Working Paper: NBER ID: w11812
Authors: Susanna Loeb; Margaret Bridges; Daphna Bassok; Bruce Fuller; Russ Rumberger
Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that attending center care is associated with cognitive benefits for young children. However, little is known about the ideal age for children to enter such care or the "right" amount of time, both weekly and yearly, for children to attend center programs. Using national data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), this paper asks whether there are optimal levels of center care duration and intensity and whether these levels vary by race or income. We consider pre-reading and math skills as measured by assessments administered at the beginning of kindergarten, as well as teacher-reported social-behavioral measures. We find that on average attending center care is associated with positive gains in pre-reading and math skills, but negative social behavior. Across economic levels, children who start center care between ages two and three see greater gains than those who start centers earlier or later. Further, starting earlier than age 2 is related to more pronounced negative social effects. Results for center intensity vary by income levels and race. For instance, poor and middle-income children see academic gains from attending center intensively (more than 30 hours a week), but wealthier children do not; and while intense center negatively impacts Black and White's social development, it does not have any negative impact for Hispanic children.
Keywords: preschool; child development; cognitive skills; social behavior; early childhood education
JEL Codes: I2; I3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Attending center care (I19) | Positive gains in prereading skills (A21) |
| Attending center care (I19) | Positive gains in math skills (C02) |
| Attending center care (I19) | Negative social behavior outcomes (D91) |
| Starting center care between ages two and three (I19) | Greater cognitive benefits (D91) |
| Starting earlier than age two (L26) | More pronounced negative social effects (D62) |
| Low-income children attending intensively (I24) | Academic gains (I24) |
| Wealthier children (I24) | Negative social outcomes (Z13) |